50 Uses for Inspiration® and Kidspiration^TM

Assist students in organizing information
Assist teachers in planning lessons/units/themes
Illustrate school's goals or plan for Parent-Teacher Organization
Illustrate instructional goal links to testing expectations
To show what each grade will be teaching and how units fit into the larger picture of curriculum for the whole school
Assess student learning
Show integration of different topics across the curriculum for a unit, lesson, or long-range plan
Present difficult material in a step by step manner
Plot summaries
Create cause/effect/solution diagrams to resolve social issues within the classroom
Book design elements
Illustrate digestive system
Local government diagram
Defining new terms
Introducing a new concept
Note-taking organizer
Detailed processes (how to add polynomials etc.)
Creating storyboards for Powerpoint and Hyperstudio presentations
Comparison activities
Historical cause and effect
Cycles (recycle, weather, etc.)
To construct a food chain
Map of where items are stored in desk, trapper, or locker
Library orientation
Language Arts - character descriptions, plot movement, action that leads to the climax
Math-to teach algorithms (especially division)
Math-problem solving because it is non-linear
Create instructions for games
Create picture charts that students can follow if they are communication impaired. Kids can follow picture symbols such as the symbols found on the Mayer-Johnson Boardmaker software.
Help study for a test.
Classroom organization chart with associated responsibilities
How to/step by step for learning new software
Developing a course or workshop
Planning a WebQuest
Documenting job responsibilities
Planning a Web site
Personal professional goals
Concept maps to send home to parents to help explain a unit so they can help their children study/review
Assist cooperative groups in defining projects and dividing job responsibilities.
Faculty/district - responsibilities of committees
Flow charts for behavior plans for either the classroom or a specific student
Similarities between different units through the use of the same structure in the graphic organizer.
A tool for students to identify when they do not understand information and identify the where the breakdown is in their comprehension.
To add more depth in a compare/contrast lesson, for example, identifying the important variables by color-coding or other visual element, and then deciding if the variable is the same or different in the two objects of study.
Showing relationships.
Procedures to follow during an emergency drill such as a fire or storm drill;
Lab procedure explanation
To present lab conclusions and highlight important concepts (especially prior to completing a written explanation)
In foreign language classes create an organizer that shows the English word on one side and the foreign language word equivalent on the other side with pictures as hints.
When studying a poem, in the center concept list the name of the poem and the connecting lines contain phrases from the poem. The subconcept explains the words in the phrase and the literary technique used such as personification.

Resources

http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/inspiration.htm

http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/tutorials/inspiration.html

http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/inspirationprojects.shtml

http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic91.htm

http://www.inspiration.com/activities/

http://comsewogue.k12.ny.us/curriculum/conceptmaps/

http://surfaquarium.com/newsletter/inspiration.htm

Rubric

Rubric for Graphic Organizers - Inspiration Diagrams/Concept Maps

CATEGORY	Exemplary	Proficient	Developing
Arrangement of Concepts	Main concept easily identified; subconcepts branch appropriately from main idea	Main concept easily identified; most subconcepts branch from main idea.	Main concept not clearly identified; subconcepts don’t consistently branch from main idea.
Links and Linking Lines	Linking lines connect related terms/point in correct direction; linking words accurately describe relationship between concepts; hyperlinks effectively used	Most linking lines connect properly; most linking words accurately describe the relationship between concepts; most hyperlinks effectively used.	Linking lines not always pointing in correct direction; linking words don’t clarify relationships between concepts; hyperlinks don’t function or fail to enhance the topic.
Graphics	Graphics used appropriately; greatly enhance the topic and aid in comprehension; are clear, crisp and well situated on the page.	Graphics used appropriately most of the time; most graphics selected enhance the topic, are of good quality, and are situated in logical places on the page.	Graphics used inappropriately and excessively; graphics poorly selected and don’t enhance the topic; some graphics are blurry and ill-placed.
Content	Reflects essential information; is logically arranged; concepts succinctly presented; no misspellings or grammatical errors	Reflects most of the essential information; is generally logically arranged; concepts presented without too many excess words; fewer than three misspellings or grammatical errors.	Contains extraneous information; is not logically arranged; contains numerous spelling and grammatical errors.
Text	Easy to read/ appropriately sized; no more than three different fonts; amount of text is appropriate for intended audience; boldface used for emphasis.	Most text is easy to read; uses no more than four different fonts; amount of text generally fits intended audience.	Font too small to read easily; more than four different fonts used; text amount is excessive for intended audience.
Design	Clean design; high visual appeal; four or fewer symbol shapes; fits page without a lot of scrolling; color used effectively for emphasis.	Design is fairly clean, with a few exceptions; diagram has visual appeal; four or fewer symbol shapes; fits page well; uses color effectively most of time.	Cluttered design; low in visual appeal; requires a lot of scrolling to view entire diagram; choice of colors lacks visual appeal and impedes comprehension.